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Did Police Use Excessive Force Arresting Hatch Sisters?

by TChris

The facts surrounding the arrest of two daughters of Minnesota's attorney general are murky, but the Chicago police Office of Professional Standards announced that it will investigate whether officers used excessive force during the arrest.

Elizabeth Hatch's father says Elizabeth and her sister Anne were kicked out of Crobar, a Chicago nightclub where they had been celebrating Anne's birthday, after Elizabeth complained about a man groping her. A police spokeswoman says that the sisters created a disturbance after their ejection from the club, and ignored a police request to leave the area. The spokeswoman says that Anne resisted arrest, knocking an officer's glasses off and scratching him under his eye, while Elizabeth struggled with another officer. Once in the squad car, officers say that Anne kicked out the back window.

Father Mike Hatch says the police knocked Elizabeth's legs out from under her and held her on the ground with a knee on her back. He says that Anne was just trying to pull the officer off of her sister, who was screaming in pain.

After several hours in lockup, the sisters were taken to a hospital. Elizabeth "had a black eye, a sprained wrist and bruises on her back and forearm," while Anne had some scratches. Their father wonders whether the police "were needlessly heavy-handed" and is concerned about the delay in providing them with medical care.

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